Good day caring-heart family
We sincerely hope that all of you are well in this new season of spring, with all its promises of growth and renewal.
Renewal is also the word to describe all of what is currently happening at ChangeNetSA. With 2023 speeding to its end, many breakthroughs were achieved, by the grace of God. There were also some sacrifices that had to be made, but the future looks bright and the road forward is becoming clearer by the day.
Ongoing projects:
The Blue Bag clothing project is growing, Meals on Wheels Bethlehem is expanding, New Beginnings is still a haven for mothers and children in distress, elderly care and more. The section for special needs children is growing, and more classroom units are needed to help them. The Grade 4 to Grade 12 section of the Tutor Centre is flourishing at its new premises at New Beginnings. Move Bethlehem is awaiting permissions from the Municipality to start with the process of making our town a better place to live in. The bunnies are happy to be at New Beginnings, where the dream is to house more animals on the premises. Current projects and events:
1. The bowls tournament on 25 September was a resounding success. It was initiated by Suzette Heyns from PG Glass, and business teams participated at the Bethlehem Bowling Club at Loch Athlone. Skemervreugde elderly care in Paul Roux received a brand-new gas stove from the proceeds of the day. The rest of the proceeds will go towards the Lighthouse for autistic children, on the premises of New Beginnings.
2. ChangeNetSA acquired two beautiful ambassadors to take our national presence forward. On 21 September, a beautiful function was held at New Horizon College to launch the new direction. Adele Fourie, semi-finalist in the Mrs. Universe South Africa 2023 competition and Yulienke Jacobs, Miss Teen International, graced this glamorous event with their presence, beautiful dresses and good presentations. Derrich Gardner, TV personality and radio presenter at RSG, was the MC for the evening.
3. On 14 October a Fund Run for Change was arranged by Adele Fourie. Motorcycle enthusiasts rode from Dihlabeng Mall to New Beginnings, with the goal of raising R 20 000 for a jungle gym for the Lighthouse children and sprucing up their garden.
In the pipeline for the last stretch of 2023:
1. Jordania Primary School will be upgrading the garden of the Lighthouse and Witteberg High School will do some upgrading of the rest of the New Beginnings garden.
2. Yulienke Jacobs, as youth ambassador, will further expand the Blue Bag project at schools in Bethlehem.
3. On 24 November an event in conjunction with the G300 youth will take place: The Yster Community Challenge, where teams of four, either families or businesses, will take on an obstacle course, on the premises of Bethlehem Christian Centre. The first beneficiary will be the Autism Lighthouse, which started with one learner, and already seven are being tutored. The other beneficiary will be the G300 youth. They are working towards buying a small bus to transport youngsters from all over town and further.
4. The national roll-out of ChangeNetSA is continuing, with enquiries from all over SA being received. For more information on this expansion, please contact the numbers below.
Our message from the previous Bulletin is worth repeating, it rings even more true during the current time: The impact of ChangeNetSA in our community is spreading at an unstoppable pace. The participation of the community is wonderful to experience. God is truly using the community to do His Kingdom work, of which caring for the needy, orphans and widows is a great part. We thank every person or entity for your willingness to join us in listening and responding to God’s calling. Be sure to call or Whatsapp to offer your talents or to obtain more information about any of our projects at the numbers below.
With heartfelt greetings from your caring-heart family.
Retha Pretorius
Media/Partner Liaison Officer – 083 602 0343
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